Thilawa port project raises concerns

Bangkok: The parliament in Myanmar is to investigate land grabs for major infrastructure projects that have taken land away from farmers. Among the land grabs that will be investigated are the hectares taken for the Thilawa port project near Yangon.

The Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is raising plenty of concern about forced displacements of local villagers.

According to an NGO called Burma Partnership, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is financing the SEZ, is “treating the communities currently living on the site area with undisguised disdain, drawing ire from local and international organisations, including on their home turf”. Covering around 2,400 hectares of land, the Thilawa SEZ is located outside Yangon and will include factories, a deepsea port, housing developments and other infrastructure for transport and communications. [16/05/14]